The Truth Hidden In Our Memories
by AurumChevalier
Summary: Sequel to Your World Never Ends. After Kaito died on the moon following his duel with Misael, he is allowed to participate in the Reaper's Game a second time. There, he finds the truth about him and the lies he's been living in. I do not own The World Ends With You or Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal. They belong to their respective owners.
1. Day 1

Kaito stood in the middle of an intersection in an unknown city, examining his surroundings. Unlike the other Players, Kaito could defend himself alone. Suddenly, Neku ran into him and knocked him to the ground.

After Kaito got up, Neku said, "I've been looking everywhere for you. You know what we need to do." Kaito nodded and they made a pact again.

Once the lights faded, Neku said, "Today's mission is to reach the statue of Hachiko."

Kaito started to panic. "If you're asking me for directions, we're screwed. I have no idea where in the world we are."

Neku chuckled a little bit before saying, "Don't worry about it. This is my hometown, so I know it as well as the back of my hand."

"You should have told me that before I started freaking out."

"Maybe you should have let me finish first."

"Whatever, just lead the way."

"By the way, I'm curious. How did you die? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"Remember the guy with the long hair that tried to kill us on the seventh day?"

"It's kind of hard to forget the people that are trying to kill you, but continue on."

"Well, I got into a duel with him on the moon."

"The moon? It's no wonder why you died."

"I was adequately protected when I got there."

"So that means you lost and died, right? Though, it's kind of hard imagining you losing."

"Wrong, who said I lost? I won, but Orbital couldn't keep it together anymore, so I ended up dying because of a vacuum."

"As in the cleaner? I can see it now. The great Kaito was defeated by a vacuum cleaner."

"When I said vacuum, I meant an area where there is nothing inside, so I basically ended up suffocating to death."

"That sounds like a terrible way to die."

"Back then, it didn't matter if I died, as long as there was a chance of saving the future."

"I'd like to pretend I'm interested in what you're saying, but we need to start the mission."

They managed to make their way towards the dog statue, but there was a horde of Noise in their way. It wasn't hard, but very time consuming. They finished the first mission in the last ten seconds.

Neku sensed something was off because Kaito wasn't as fierce as he used to be. He asked, "Is everything alright? You seem to be a little on edge. If you want to talk about it, I'm here to listen."

Kaito paused for a moment before saying, "I don't know what to think anymore."

"If it's about the Game, you been through this before. Don't worry about Haruto, I'm sure he'll be very well taken care of."

"Haruto is not my entry fee this time."

"Sorry. I just assumed from last time."

"It's alright, even I was surprised about my entry fee."

"What happened? You seem to have changed."

"How would you feel if you found out most of your life had been a lie?"

Neku thought about it and remained silent.

Kaito thought about the moment his entry fee was taken.

_He was standing in front of Joshua, the Composer. Joshua told him, "Your entry fee from the last Game was not what you truly held dear. The most important thing to you is something that you aren't even aware of."_

_This just confused him. He said, "That doesn't make any sense. How am I supposed to treasure something if I don't even know about it?"_

"_Your mind will not remember, but it has always been in your heart."_

"_Stop speaking in riddles. Will I be allowed to join the game or not?"_

"_Very well then, if you are so impatient, I will comply. There is something you should know. Your entry fee is the sense of security you felt with the false memories you had."_

_He suddenly experienced a headache that felt like his head was going to split apart._

Day 1: Resurrection

Author's Note: There are going to be some gaps in this story. Some will be answered if you read Synchronic Sacrifice, a story in the Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds and Yu-Gi-Oh ZeXal crossover section.


	2. Day 2

When Kaito and Neku woke up, they were standing in the station underpass. Neku said, "I found the answer to your question. Even if the entire world was a lie, I would still live my life to the fullest extent. 'Enjoy the moment.' That was what I learned."

Kaito looked at him for a moment before saying, "I guess you're right, but it still doesn't help."

"If you want to talk about it, I can listen, or at least pretend to."

"I don't want to, at least not yet. There are many things that still aren't clear to me."

"Okay, but I'm here if you want to talk."

"I know." Kaito looked at the Platinum Pin he won in the previous Game and inadvertently called out Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon.

Neku stared at Kaito with the confused expression before he said,"We haven't even gotten the mission yet. Why did you summon your alternate Psych?"

"I didn't. It just suddenly came out on its own accord."

There was a voice in Kaito's head. He spaced out for a moment. _It is time for you to learn the truth. You have a destiny greater than you realize. There will be trials ahead of you._

Neku waved his hand in front of Kaito's face for a few minutes before getting a response. When he got the response, Neku said, "It's alive!"

Kaito blinked a few times before saying, "You're not Frankenstein. Also, did you hear that voice?"

"You're hallucinating. I think you need more sleep, unless you're on something."

"I'm not doing drugs! That was strange. The voice felt like it was coming from-" Kaito quickly turned around looked at Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon.

_The gifts you have are beginning to manifest. With time, they will all be clear to you._

Neku stood there with his eyes wide and mouth gaping. When he stopped staring, he said, "Okay, I definitely think I'm hearing voices as well, unless someone secretly spiked whatever I was eating."

Kaito snickered a little bit before he said, "See, I told you; I wasn't lying." He turned towards Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon. "Sorry for everything I forced you through. I was asked to take care of you, but I ended up using you as a pawn."

_You did not remember. I was the one entrusted to protect you, but I couldn't do anything to prevent your memories from being manipulated._

"Did my mother ask you to?"

_She did. I owe her and her dragon my life. If it hadn't been for them, I wouldn't be here today. One day, I had hoped to return the favor, but she had died before I could do anything. The best way now is to protect her son with everything I've got._

"Thank you. I appreciate the effort."

_If you need my help, feel free to ask. You don't have to concentrate anymore, for we are connected by thoughts._ Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon disappeared.

Neku silently muttered to himself, "It's like I'm not even there." After Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon left, Neku said, "What am I, chopped liver?"

Kaito poked Neku stomach area and said, "I think this is where your liver is. There isn't any lacerations, so I don't think your liver is chopped."

"I was being sarcastic."

"What's up with you? I ignore you for a minute and you get angry with me."

"I'm worried about you, but you don't seem to trust me enough to tell me anything. We're partners. Trust is the base for our survival."

"It's not that I don't trust you. I just don't want to get you involved."

"I'm already involved anyway, so there is nothing to lose."

"My mother entrusted Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon to protect me. She gave everything to protect me. I didn't know it was a spirit though."

"It makes sense now, I guess. I always wondered how in the world it could speak, but your explanation clears it up."

"I have a question for you. Why are you in the Game again?"

"Josh wanted me to investigate another case. It has to do with-... The mission is here. It says, 'Survive the barrage of Noise in the Udagawa district'. I'll finish my story later. Follow me, I know where we need to go."

They raced to the graffiti wall mural in Udagawa. There was an even larger army of Noise than the one they encounter the day before. Several other Players were erased before their eyes. Their strategy for defeating the Noise was different than the other Players.

The main problem were the large Noises. They paid more attention to the large Noise and erasing those first before moving on to the small ones. Other Players would erase whatever Noise was in front of them, so that gave a chance for the large Noise to ambush them.

Neku and Kaito survived the assault that lasted over an hour. At the end, they were completely exhausted.

Kaito, struggling to catch his breath, said, "I hope we don't have to go through this again. We won't last very long if we have to expend all of our energy everyday."

Panting in between words, Neku said, "Creating Noise also creates strain on the Reapers, so they probably won't do an all out attack like that again in the near future. Maybe on the seventh day."

"You didn't answer me. What did Joshua send you to investigate?"

"I'm supposed to track down and capture, if not, erase, a Fallen Angel."

Day 2: A Mother's Gift


	3. Day 3

Neku and Kaito were standing in the Scramble Crossing again. Kaito asked, "What is a Fallen Angel? You mentioned it yesterday."

Looking up from his phone, Neku replied, "A Fallen Angel is a criminal that breaks the Angel's code, whatever that means."

"Joshua sent you to capture a criminal? That seems a bit beneath you."

"If I don't do what he says, I'm dead. I hate to admit this, but he is the one that brought me back to life."

Feeling as though he needed to change the subject, Kaito asked, "Why are you helping me with the Game, instead of doing your job?"

"Multitasking. Josh is tracking him down. My job is to deal with him. So while I'm waiting for him to be done, I'll help you."

"So, I'm just keeping you entertained until you do your job?"

"Yeah, pretty much." 

"So much for thinking you actually cared."

Neku felt he needed to change the subject because further discussions were probably going to strain their relationship. "Every time I see you, you're dressed in tights. Why is that? I thought you got over it last time?"

"These clothes are the only ones that can withstand the beating I go through most of the time. The others fell to pieces after the first duel."

"Why don't you just get new durable clothes?"

"I have a large closet filled with these same ones and it costs a lot to make different ones. Yeah, I can be pretty cheap at times."

"Since the mission isn't here yet, we are getting you new pants. I am not going to be your partner any more if you keep wearing tights."

The two made their way to the 104 building; where they ran into Eiji Ouji, the prince of Ennui. Neku thought, _We had better get out of here quick. Mr. Spicy-Tuna-Roll is probably going to give another one of his speeches on fashion and trends._ As they tried to leave the building, Eiji Ouji stopped Kaito.

Neku thought Kaito was going to be criticised for his tights, but was surprised when the prince asked, "Where did you get that outfit? F it. F for fabulous."

The girls behind him were whispering, "OMG, the prince, like, totally F'ed his outfit. The prince only F's the things he really likes. Where can we get those?"

Kaito was annoyed at the attention he was getting and wanted to end it as quickly as possible. "This was custom made."

Before Eiji Ouji left, he said, "That's a shame. It is a mystery how such an unfashionable person can be associated with someone who is a master on the trends."

After the prince left, Kaito gave Neku a smug smile and said, "I think you're the only person who has a problem with my tights, Mr. Critic."

Neku just shrugged and said, "It doesn't matter. I'm still holding up my conditions. You won't be my partner unless you ditch those tights."

Kaito knew Neku was just joking, but he didn't want things to get more strained between them. He complied and replaced his tights with white skinny jeans. Once they were outside, Neku said, "Those jeans are not an improvement. You look the same as you did before."

"That's the point. I met your conditions. These are not tights. You didn't say I had to look different."

Neku raised his hands in defeat. "Fine, have it your way. Just keep in mind, one of these days, they are all going to be burned in a heap."

"You won't even get past the front door."

"As much as I would like to continue talking about your fashion atrocities, the mission is here."

"They are not atrocities and you're worse off than I am, so I wouldn't be talking if I were you."

"Just drop it. The mission's here. It says, 'Complete the ramen challenge in Dogenzaka. You have 2 hours. Also, Player count is now 2.' Yesterday's mission did a number on the Players."

When they got to their destination, they found a flyer advertising the ramen challenge taking place at Shadow Ramen. As soon as Neku walked through the door, the owner said, "Oh, it's you again."

Kaito leaned over and whispered, "What did you do to piss the owner off?"

Neku shrugged and said, "I didn't do anything. He just thinks that I'm hitting on him every time I go in here."

"Why would he think that? I mean, this is a restaurant, so people would go in and out often."

"I think he is mentally unstable. There are several occasions that prove it."

"This entire city is crazy. I think everybody here has some type of mental issue."

"Likewise with yours. Everybody there just plays card games. Let's drop the topic for now. We need to finish the mission."

In order to complete the ramen challenge, the competitors must finish five extra large bowls of ramen, including the broth, within one hour. Kaito and Neku stared at each other; there was no way they could each eat five bowls of ramen in one sitting.

Both of them left the restaurant for a little while to formulate a plan. Kaito suggested, "Maybe we should look for Noise and feed the ramen to them when the owner isn't looking. People can't see Noise, so it should work."

Neku gave Kaito a weird look and said, "You might be onto something, but Noise can't easily be controlled. People can't see us when we are outside … I got it. We'll split the amount of ramen we have to eat. One of us will be outside while the other stands near the door. To everybody else, it'll look like one person is eating all of that ramen while it is actually two."

"That's a great idea. We need to get started. There's about an hour and a half left on the timer."

They finished everything with ten minutes to spare: Neku ate three bowls while Kaito ate two. When they left the restaurant, Neku said, "I feel like I'm going to explode. Now I know how a fat person feels. What the heck was up with today's mission? The Game Master must be trying to kill us by force feeding."

Kaito tried to help and suggested, "You should take some laxatives or throw it up, if it's making you feel miserable. Eating too much isn't good for you."

"People only do that if they're bulimic and I'm not. Besides, I didn't say I was miserable."

"Then stop complaining about it."

Suddenly, a crow flew by and dropped something into Neku's hair. Neku tried to get it out of his hair and screamed, "Get it off! Get it off! I hate bird poop."

A few black feathers came out of his hair. Kaito picked them up and laughed. "I never knew you were afraid of getting pooped on."

Neku tried to pretend he didn't overreact, but he ended up looking like he was about to have a panic attack. "Birds freak me out. They can poop on you or peck your eyes out. Besides, crows are scary. Why do you think there are always crows in front of haunted houses?"

"I'm making a mental note to keep crows in front of my house. My uncle used to tell me, 'Crows and street rats are stronger than those pampered city pets.' I didn't remember it until now."

Day 3: Blackwing Feathers


	4. Day 4

Neku and Kaito stood at the Scramble Crossing again. Kaito asked, jokingly, "Have you gotten over yesterday's crows yet?"

Since Neku was on the phone, he didn't hear Kaito. When he got off it, he said, "Joshua tracked the Fallen Angel to the Station Underpass. We need to go there immediately."

"What about the mission?"

"The Game is just a cover. This takes more importance. I'll explain on the way."

As they sprinted towards the Station Underpass, Neku explained, between breaths, "The Fallen Angel want to the destroy the UG to 'protect' it from the Composer. If the UG is destroyed, the RG goes with it. They are interconnected and support each other. Since we don't know what he will do next, he is considered a dangerous criminal. This Game is our cover to make him think we're not on to his plans. I know this week's Game Master and he only takes orders from the Composer right now. He would've gotten promoted a long time ago if he wasn't so lazy."

When they got to the Station Underpass, they saw Mr. Hanekoma standing in front of the entrance to the Shibuya River. Kaito became confused and whispered, "Isn't that the guy who was the owner of that café you brought me to? I thought you trusted him?"

"That's not the same person I know. The person in front of us is Hanekoma, but he's from a different parallel world; the one I know is at the Higher Plane, trying to sort this problem out."

"So that's the problem. It's not going to get in my way because I've gone far to fall back now."

"If we defeat him, the Game will end, since we no longer need a cover. You're the only dead player left, so you'll be brought back to life."

"Then let's get this over with." The Hanekoma in front of them changed into his noise form; a tiger and a lion.

"I call lion. You're stuck with the tiger." Neku disappeared into the other Zone.

Kaito was stuck having to avoid the tiger's attacks and injure it when he had the chance, which wasn't very often. He quietly muttered, "Thanks for leaving me with the hard one."

It took a while before they managed to bring its health down to a small segment. In a desperate attempt, it drew both forms into the Zone Kaito was in. He was unprepared for this and would have been seriously injured by its attack if Photon Thrasher hadn't suddenly appeared and taken the brunt of the attack.

Seeing that it's attack failed, it disappeared. Neku appeared as quickly as he could and said, "I saw what happened. Are you alright?"

Kaito accepted Neku's outstretched hand and pulled himself up. "I'm fine, thanks to it." He pointed towards the Photon Thrasher that had appeared,

"Did you do that?"

"I'm not sure." Then he noticed one of his cards was on the ground; it was Photon Thrasher. "Don't tell me." He pulled out Daybreaker from his deck and it suddenly appeared in front of him. When he returned the cards back to his deck, the apparitions disappeared.

"How did you learn to do that?"

"I don't know. Unless- " He trailed off and was lost in his thoughts.

Neku waited a little while before slapping Kaito back into reality, literally and very hard. "You seem really depressed lately. Have you ever considered getting yourself a girlfriend?"

"What the heck was that for?"

"That was for slacking off when I'm around. Don't expect me to go easy on you just because you're my Partner."

"No, I meant the part about getting a girlfriend."

"I know some things about your life."

"That explains the unknown person going through my trash and following me everyday."

"You have a stalker? Whoever it is, it's not me."

"I was trying a hand at being sarcastic."

"So you do have the capability to show some wit."

"Just because I don't smile a lot doesn't mean I don't have any humor."

"Seeing how you reacted when I mentioned getting a girlfriend, you must not lean that way. But hey, I'm not judging. I'd hate to break this to you though, but I'm not available."

"Why do I even bother talking to you?"

"Because I'm the only person who can hear you."

"Whatever. We're dropping this subject."

"Jeez. You don't have to get so defensive about it."

"Where's duct tape when you need it? I think this ability is the result of being the child of two Signers. Galaxy Eyes did mention it. The power resembles the ability of the Psychic Duelists."

"Okay. I'm going to pretend I understood what the heck you just said."

"You don't need to understand. All you have to know is that I think I can control it."

"You're uncertainty is not very assuring, but we need that power because we're going to need it. The Hanekoma from another dimension is still on the loose. We're going to be fighting him again soon."

"Yeah." Kaito heard the stories about Psychic Duelist and how society rejects them, even in this era. They weren't common; the last reported case was over ten years ago. He thought, _Just when I was coming to terms with my situation, the world just forces something else into my life._

Day 4: Psychic Duelist


	5. Day 5

While waiting for the mission at the tag mural in Udagawa, Neku asked, "What happened on the first last week? You had a lot of problems doing anything physical, but then you were completely different afterwards. Have you secretly been taking steroids?"

Kaito gave Neku a questioning look and said, "You always think that I'm on something. What is up with that?"

"I'm just going by logical explanations. There aren't any others that I can come up with."

"Fine… My body was still repairing itself after I almost destroyed it, but it got better."

"What did you? Get yourself stuck on a landmine?"

"No. I was forcing it to endure multiple Transformations and it started to break down. With that amount of damage, it was a miracle I could still stand."

"Great, so I was paired up with a handicapped person? Just my luck."

"I was going through the recovery period at that time. By the second day, I was already better. That's why I was like that on the first day. Normally, I'm above average in physical activity."

"That's good to hear. The mission's here. It says, 'Win the Partners Cooking Challenge in Spain Hill. Time is unlimited.' I hope you know how to cook because I certainly can't."

"It mentions partners, so you have to participate as well. Can you at least do the basics?"

"I tried to boil water for ramen once. The kettle ended up exploding and the kitchen was on fire."

Kaito stared at him with his mouth open. "How is that even possible?"

Neku just shrugged. "How would I know? I think I ran out of water and used ice cubes."

"Whatever, just lead the way. I'll think of something on the way."

They ran the entire way there because it was unknown when the contest was going to start. Near the area, they were grateful the competition would be held inside, as they would be invisible outside. As soon as they entered the building, one of the registrars immediately recognized them by their Player Pins and gave them a place among the other competitors.

There were two stovetops, so Neku and Kaito could work independently from each other. As the competition started, Kaito gave Neku some ingredients and told him to make omelettes, then walked to the other stove.

Neku stood there staring at the eggs for around five minutes. He placed several eggs inside a pot (without even breaking the egg shells) and poured enough oil to drown the entire thing and threw in several handfuls of salt and pepper. Afterwards, he turned the flame on to maximum power, and ten minutes later, all of the eggs exploded.

Kaito turned around at the noise and returned back to whatever he was doing after he found out Neku was responsible. Neku didn't know what to do next, so he grabbed the exploded eggs from the pot with tongs and put them on a plate. All of the eggshells were no longer on the eggs because they became tiny missiles in the explosion.

Not having any clue on the next step, Neku decided to improvise. He put a carrot, tomato, onion, and orange in the oven and ended up charring the outside. The items were placed inside a blender and blended to a pulp. It became a rather nasty shade of brown, but Neku didn't care; he dumped the glop on top of the eggs.

As the competition was winding down to the final minutes, Kaito went over to see how Neku was doing. After seeing the completely unappetizing plate of "food", Kaito wanted to throw it out, it was too late. The competition ended and all of the food were given to the judges on stage.

When it was their turn (they somehow ended up last), they brought up hot chocolate, fried rice, and some brown blob thing. None of the judges seemed eager to try the last item. Kaito covered his face with his hands and Neku put his hands in his pocket when the bravest of the three judges decided to taste it. After a few seconds of deliberation, the judge said, "I have never tasted anything like this before. Despite its looks, the taste is delicious."

The other judges started to taste the blob and their reactions were the same as the first one. It was a unanimous decision for Kaito and Neku to win.

As people were cleaning up, Kaito said, "I never expected you to come up with something like this. Though I am curious about how this tastes." He took a spoon and put whatever Neku made into his mouth. The moment it went in, he resisted the urge to throw it back up right then and there. Instead, he ran to the nearest trash can and tried to spit it out as discreetly as possible. When he recovered, he took the plate and buried it at the bottom of the trash can.

Neku had an amused look on his face. "Don't say anything until we get outside. If it makes you feel any better, all of the judges are still in the bathroom with diarrhea, though they ran in about ten minutes ago. Also, it's thanks to this that we won." He pulled his hands out of his pockets and showed Kaito the Player Pin he was holding.

Right after they were awarded for winning the contest, Kaito dragged Neku outside and said, "What were you trying to do?"

Neku shrugged, "Just doing whatever it takes to win."

"Did you even listen to the instructions I gave you?"

"What instructions?"

"I told you to crack five eggs and add half a tomato, half an onion, a pinch of salt and pepper, quarter of a cup of cilantro, and half a bell pepper. Fry the mixture, put it on a plate, and garnish with orange slices."

"Whoops. I guess I kind of wasn't paying attention. The music I was listening to was pretty good though."

"Next time, you're probably going to make the kitchen explode."

"Thank you. I'll be sure to put you in there when it does."

"As if that's possible, I'll be at your funeral before that ever happens. After all, you make everything you touch explode." Laughing, Kaito thought, _Maybe, life is about strengthening the bonds we share with other people and trying to get to know them better._

Day 5: Bonds


End file.
